Winter is coming...

If you're a fan of HBO the title of today's post  will immediately transport you into the extraordinairy world of Game of Thrones, a medieval fantasy set in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros where "summer spans decades and winters can last a lifetime."  Winter is coming to the Okanagan, and we were given a hint of that yesterday.  Our first snow flurry of the year swept through the valley, leaving a few reminders that even this afternoon, are still etched in the icy veins of maple leaves in my backyard.

And though I'm grateful it doesn't last a lifetime, I  take great pleasure in this season of snow covered mountains, dark afternoons and fluffy white flakes.  I love the bacon-y smell of my neighbour's woodfire stove and the crunchy squeek beneath my boots on virgin snow, the way my nose tingles and my cheeks go red but the rest of me is cozy and warm as I walk up Mission Ridge in my heavy jacket, snow pants and  snowshoes.  I adore coming inside from the cold, entering an envelope of cozy heat, unwinding the long scarf from around my neck as I breathe in the tangy aroma of my mom's Chili, that's been simmering away all day in the crock pot.  I love trying to peel  Christmas mandarins in one long strip and the way the sweet tart juice splashes the insides of your mouth when you pop that first wedge in and take a bite.

I've always said that Autumn is my favourite time of year;  a season of visual beauty; of colour, of golden afternoons and red and yellow landscapes.  But it seems that Winter might be closing in on first place.  For me, it's a season for all five senses, and maybe more.   Winter is coming... and I can't wait!